JP2954457B2 - Load transfer device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a load transfer device for transferring a load between a load storage unit and a load transport device in a three-dimensional automatic warehouse or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a load transfer device in an automatic warehouse, there are a hook type transfer device, a fork type transfer device, a belt conveyor type transfer device and the like, and a fork type transfer device is mainly used. I was As the hook type, there is a load transfer device described in JP-A-53-91276, and as the fork type, there is a load transfer device described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-47129. As a belt conveyor type transfer apparatus, Japanese Utility Model Application No. 51-82791 (Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No.
3-1788). Hereinafter, the related art will be described.

[0003] As a hook-type transfer device, a load is provided with an engaged portion, and an engaging tool provided in a pull-in device is engaged with the engaged portion, thereby pulling the load into the transport device. . As a fork-type transfer device, a fork mechanism scoops a load from below. Also, as a belt conveyor type transfer device, by pressing the belt of the belt conveyor against the lower surface of the load and driving it,
Utilizing the frictional force generated between the belt and the luggage, the luggage is moved into the transport device to transfer the luggage.

[0004]

The prior art described above has the following problems. Most of the fork-type loading and unloading devices were of the bottom scoop type, so they could not be transferred from a shelf composed of shelves. It has to be used, and this shelf has a problem that the production cost is higher than that of a normal shelf-type shelf, and that the storage space cannot be used efficiently because of the large number of columns.
In addition to this, in the fork type transfer device, since the fork is driven by a chain and a rack and pinion type, not only is there a need to lubricate and the device becomes dirty with oil, but also a rack opinion In the case of the expression, there is also a problem that the first fork cannot be completely pulled out from the fixed fork.

[0005] In the case of a hook-type load transfer device or a conveyor-type load transfer device, a plastic basket or the like having rigid bottom and side surfaces has been effective.
Low rigidity such as a cardboard box has problems such as deformation of the cardboard box, and it is necessary to temporarily place the cardboard box on a special case or tray to transfer the cardboard box, which lowers the work efficiency. There was a problem.

Further, these conventional transfer devices are:
Only shelves composed of a large number of columns and beams to receive the contents can be used, so it can only store luggage of a certain size that fits tightly between the beams, and those of other dimensions It is necessary to transfer the material once it is placed in a case having a predetermined size, and in such a case, there is a problem that the working efficiency is reduced.

Further, in the belt conveyor type load transfer device, it is necessary to slightly protrude the end of the load from the shelf in order to load the load on the belt conveyor, which causes not only a problem that storage stability of the load is deteriorated, but also a problem. In addition, since an additional holding device for the upper portion is required to cope with the uneven load of the load, there is a problem that the structure becomes complicated and the manufacturing cost increases. In particular, there is a problem that the transfer cannot be performed by the belt conveyor type device when the eccentric load is large.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and enables the use of shelves having a shelf structure in a warehouse to efficiently store luggage. It is an object of the present invention to provide a highly reliable and highly efficient load transfer device capable of transferring a load directly from a shelf plate regardless of the size of the load or an uneven load.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for transferring a load between a storage unit for a load and a device for transporting a load in a warehouse. has, in the load conveying apparatus main body, by the engaging portion attached to the fork and front and rear ends of the fork
A frame body is formed, and the frame body has an inner dimension larger than the plane outer dimension of the load, and the frame is covered with the load by descending.
It is possible to enclose the luggage in such a manner as described above, and it has an advance / retreat mechanism for pulling the frame into the luggage transport device main body or pushing it out of the luggage transport device main body .
You . The reciprocating mechanism includes a first fork having an engaging portion, a second fork having an engaging portion.
Of the fork, the third can be composed of three stages fork type drive device consisting of forks, the luggage by driving the reciprocating mechanism can be transferred by sliding the upper shelves.

[0010]

When the package is to be unloaded from the shelf, the transfer device body moves in front of the package to be unloaded, and the engaging portion is moved by the reciprocating mechanism into the gap between the upper portion of the package and the shelf above it. After being pulled out and engaged with the load so as to cover the engagement portion from above the load, the load is slid on the shelf together with the engagement portion by the engagement portion being pulled into the transport device body by the advance / retreat mechanism. The luggage is stored in the apparatus main body, and the transported apparatus main body is moved to the exit, so that the package is retrieved. In addition, when the user wants to store the load on the shelf, the transport device main body is moved to the shelf to be stored, and the load stored in the transport device main body is moved into the transport device main body via the frame by the advance / retreat mechanism. By pushing on the shelf from the, the luggage is slid on the shelf board and transferred to the specified shelf position, and then the engaging part is pulled out of the luggage and removed from the stored item, and the luggage is completed. I do.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a load transfer device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. Figure 1,
In FIG. 3, the transport device main body 4 of the overhead traveling type load transfer device is supported via a chain 5 along a guide column 31 so as to be able to move up and down. The transport device main body 4 is adapted to travel along the traveling rails by the traversing carriage 28 and the traversing beams 27, 27, and the shelf board 2 in the automatic warehouse.
6 can be directly transferred. What supports the transport device 4 so as to be able to move up and down is not limited to a chain, but may be a wire, a rope, or the like.

4 to 10, a first fork 3, a second fork 2,
There is provided a three-stage fork type driving device constituted by the fixed fork 1. The front and rear ends of the first fork 3 are engaged with the baggage 25 by lowering the baggage 25 so as to cover the baggage 25 from above, and move back and forth in this state to move the baggage 25. 8 is provided. The engaging portion 8 constitutes a frame together with the first fork 3, and the frame has an inner diameter slightly larger than the planar outer dimension of the load 25. The first fork 3 includes a toothed belt 1 attached to the second fork 2.
8 is configured to move in conjunction with the movement of the second fork 2 by meshing with the rack 21 formed on the lower surface of the first fork 3.

The toothed belt 18 is hooked on toothed pulleys 14 and 15 formed at both ends of the second fork 2, and the tension of the toothed belt 18 is adjusted by pulling the toothed pulley 15 with a screw mechanism. ing. The toothed belt 18 has teeth formed on both the front and back surfaces of the belt. The teeth on the outer peripheral upper surface are meshed with the rack 21 of the first fork 3, and the teeth on the outer peripheral lower surface are fixed fork 1. Is engaged with the rack 20 formed on the upper part. A spacer 24 is attached to the inner peripheral side of the belt 18, and the spacer 24 prevents the belt 18 from escaping from the rack 20, so that the teeth of the belt 18 and the rack 20 are reliably engaged.

A rack 19 is formed on the lower surface of the second fork 2, and the rack 19 meshes with the teeth on the upper surface side of the toothed belt 17 having teeth formed on both the front and rear surfaces of the belt. ing. The toothed belt 17 is hooked on the drive pulley 11, toothed pulleys 12 and 13 formed on both ends of the fixed fork 1, and a belt tension adjusting idler 16, and the belt tension adjusting idler 16 tensions the toothed belt 17. Has been adjusted. A spacer (not shown) is attached between the toothed pulleys 12 and 13 on the inner peripheral side of the belt 17.
The spacer prevents the escape of the rack 7 from the rack 19, so that the belt 17 and the rack 19 are reliably engaged with each other.

Next, the operation for transferring a package will be described. FIG. 2 shows a procedure for automatically moving the transport device 4 to a predetermined shelf position and performing a retrieval operation.
The operation is performed according to the steps (a) to (e). (A) The transport device main body 4 is moved to the front of a predetermined shelf in which a load to be transferred is stored, and is moved up and down to a predetermined height by an elevating device. (B) The engaging portion 8 is pushed out by the three-stage fork type driving device into the gap between the load 25 and the shelf plate thereon, and stops at a predetermined position. (C) When the transport device main body 4 is lowered by the elevator, the engaging portion 8 is simultaneously lowered so as to cover the load 25 and stopped at a predetermined position. (D) The luggage 25 is also pulled into the transport device main body 4 by the engaging portion 8 by the engagement portion 8 being pulled into the transport device main body 4 by the three-stage fork type driving mechanism. At this time, the luggage 25 is transferred to the rollers 7 provided in the transfer device main body 4.
Move while sliding. (E) The package 25 is completely accommodated in the transport device main body 4,
The transport device main body 4 moves to a predetermined exit port with the package 25 stored therein, and the transfer of the package is completed.

The warehousing operation is performed in the reverse order of the warehousing operation. That is, the transport device main body 4 is moved to a predetermined shelf position in a state where the package 25 is completely stored in the transport device main body 4. Next, the load 25 is moved toward the shelf board 26 by pushing out the engagement portion 8 by the three-stage fork type drive mechanism. Then, the luggage 25 is moved to a position where it is completely stored on the shelf 26, and the fork is stopped.
Thereafter, the transport device main body 4 is raised by the elevator, the engaging portion 8 is released above the load 25, and the engaging portion 8 is pulled into the transport device main body 4 by the three-stage fork mechanism. The above operation completes the luggage storage.

Next, 3 is a mechanism for moving the engaging portion 8 forward and backward.
The operation of the step fork mechanism will be described. 4 to 10, the drive pulley 11 is driven by the gear motor 10, and the belt 17 is driven. When the belt 17 is driven, the teeth on the upper surface side of the belt 17
The second fork 2 is driven forward or backward (left or right in FIG. 5) by meshing with a rack 19 formed on the lower surface of the fork. At this time, the plurality of rollers 23 attached to the fixed fork 1 move along the groove 32 provided inside the second fork 2 to guide the second fork 2.

When the second fork 2 is driven, the belt 1
The belt 18 rotates because the teeth on the lower surface side of the gear 8 mesh with the rack 20. Since the teeth on the upper surface of the belt 18 mesh with the rack 21, the first fork 3
Is driven forward or rearward (leftward or rightward in FIG. 5), and at the same time, the engaging portion 8 is also pushed out of the transporting device 4 or pulled into the transporting device 4. The first fork 3
Moves twice the distance of the movement amount of the second fork 2.
When the first fork 3 is driven, the plurality of rollers 22 attached to the first fork 3 move along the groove 33 provided inside the second fork 2,
The first fork 3 is guided.

In the above embodiment, if the driving mechanism is driven by a double-toothed belt, unlike the case of driving with a chain or the like, there is no need for lubrication or the like, and there is a concern that the apparatus may be contaminated with oil. In addition, unlike the rack opinion type, the first fork 3 can be completely pulled out from the fixed fork 1. The toothed belts 17 and 18 may be made of resin, rubber, or the like, and may be made of an appropriate material in consideration of the weight of the baggage and the like.

Although the above embodiment uses an overhead traveling crane, a stacker crane or the like may be used, and the invention is not limited to the above embodiment. In addition, the shape and size of the engaging portion 8 are not limited to those in the above embodiment, and the shape and size of the baggage to be transferred, a control error when the engaging portion is put on the baggage, a dimensional difference of the baggage, etc. The shape of the engaging portion may be round or polygonal.

The driving means of the engaging portion 8 is not limited to the three-stage fork type driving device as in the above embodiment, but is driven by a chain type, a hydraulic type fork, a rack and pinion type fork, or the like. May be used. As for the roller 7 in the transport device main body 4, a belt may be provided instead of the roller 7, and the roller 7 and the belt need not necessarily be provided.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In FIG. 11, the engaging portion 8 includes engaging pieces 8a and 8b provided at the front and rear ends of the first fork 3. These engaging pieces 8a, 8b extend horizontally from the front and rear ends of the first fork 3 in a direction approaching each other.
There is a space between b. Such engagement pieces 8a,
8b is put on the load 25 and is engaged with the load 25. In this state, the first fork is moved forward and backward, so that the load 25 is pushed out of the transport device main body 4, and
It can be drawn into the transfer device main body 4.

Another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In FIG. 12, a plurality of engaging protrusions 8c and 8d extending downward from the engaging portion 8 are formed on the engaging portion 8. The engagement protrusions 8c and d are engaged with the load 25 so as to cover the load 25 together with the engagement portion 8, and the load 25 is transferred. That is, when pushing out the load 25 from the transport device main body 4, the engagement protrusions 8 d provided on the transport device main body 4 side,
8d is engaged with the baggage 25 together with the engaging portion 8, and the baggage 25 is pushed out from the inside of the transport device main body 4. On the other hand, luggage 25
Is pulled into the transport device main body 4,
The engaging projections 8c, 8c formed on the outside as viewed from above are engaged with the load 25 together with the engaging portions 8, and the load 25 is drawn into the transport device main body 4. By providing the engagement projections 8c and 8d in addition to the engagement portion 8 as described above, it is possible to stably transport the load when pushing out the load from the transfer device and pulling the load into the transfer device. it can. The number of engaging projections and the positions at which they are formed are not limited to those in the above-described embodiment. For example, it is only necessary to provide one engaging projection on each side of the transfer device main body and on the outside, or a plurality of engagement projections. It may be as.
Also, the shape of the engaging projection is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be a circle, an ellipse, a polygon, or the like in accordance with the nature and shape of the load.

[0024]

According to the present invention, in a load transfer device,
A luggage transport device body for transporting luggage, and the luggage transport device
Fork provided on the body and front and rear ends of this fork
And a frame body comprising an engaging portion attached to the portion.
The frame body will cover the luggage by lowering it
It is possible to enclose the luggage in this way, and since it has an advance and retreat mechanism to drive this frame, it is not necessary to make the size of the luggage constant, but if the luggage is smaller than the inner size of the frame It can be transported by sliding directly on the hill, improving work efficiency.
In addition, because of the above-described configuration, it is possible to transfer luggage even when using a normal shelf-type shelf, to efficiently use storage space, and to reduce the manufacturing cost of the shelf. Can also. Unlike the hook-type load transfer device and the conveyor-type load transfer device, even rigid objects such as cardboard boxes can be transferred without being placed on special cases or trays, improving work efficiency. Can be achieved. Furthermore, unlike a belt conveyor type load transfer device,
Since it is not necessary to protrude the end of the luggage from the shelf plate to load the contents on the belt conveyor, it is possible to improve the storage safety of the luggage, and it is not necessary to provide an additional mechanism to cope with the uneven load, thereby reducing costs. Can be reduced,
Particularly, it is possible to transfer even a load having a large eccentric load, which cannot be transferred by the conventional belt conveyor type apparatus.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a main body of a baggage transport device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view sequentially showing the operation of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an overall view of the transfer device of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a main part of the main unit of the baggage transport device of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the same.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing the engagement between the rack portion of the fork and the belt of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the transfer apparatus main body of the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional plan view of the load transfer device according to the embodiment at the time of transfer.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the same.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the fork according to the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fixed fork 2 2nd fork 3 1st fork 4 Conveying device main body 8 Engaging part 17 Toothed belt 18 Toothed belt 25 Luggage 26 Shelf board

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B65G 1/00-1/20 B66F 9 / 07,9 / 19

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. An apparatus for transferring goods between a storage part for storing goods and a equipment for conveying goods in a warehouse, comprising: a main body for carrying goods, for conveying goods. There is a fork and this fork
A frame is formed by the engaging portions attached to the front and rear ends of the package, and the frame has an inner shape size larger than the plane outer dimension of the load , and is lowered so as to cover the load. A loading / unloading device capable of surrounding an object and having an advancing / retracting mechanism for pulling the frame into the luggage transporting device main body or pushing the frame out of the luggage transporting device main body. . 2. The reciprocating mechanism includes a first fork, a second fork, and a third fork having an engaging portion.
The load transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the load transfer device is a step fork type drive device.